[MPRP] Worried Warnings (Dina & Mimo sinu) - FIN

[Jovi of Shadows]

IC Publicity: Public
Weather: Dry, arid, and hot.
Location: Around a clump of scraggily, dying brush.

As far back as Dina could remember living amongst the pride, she could not recall a time of such dire circumstances. Some years had been rougher than others, that's for sure, but as far as the lioness was concerned this was absolutely the worst of it. In times like this, the pride could only prosper by team work and keeping each other close- if only she could get her daughter to see this. Dina paused in her hurried steps to check around a pair of large rocks, hoping to find Mimo sinu near by. No luck. Worry etched itself in the back of her mind, the pride was feeling the grips of sickness at the back of their necks, and not immediately finding her daughter was troublesome.

A concerned frown placed itself upon her maw as Dina continued forward, ears twisted back and head held high in an alert fashion. The sooner she found Mimo the better, for if the sickness wasn't bad enough, her daughter's behavior certainly wasn't helping the situation! Her steps were once again hurried as she approached the next clump of landscape, the dry heat prickling at the base of her throat. It was no secret that Dina was a particularly nosy lioness, always willing to offer her opinion on a situation, but she truly believed that not talking to her daughter now and telling her just exactly what she thought was right would lead to disaster. Eagerly Dina appraoched a clump of dying bushes, a quick look of disapproval flashing across her face at the thought of the drought, and eased her way to a halt so as to better inspect the area. If she didn't find Mimo here, she'd just have to keep looking. There was no giving up now.  

[Depawsit]

Lying under the useless shadow of a once healthy tree, Mimo sighed heavily at the skeleton she now lie under. She'd always liked this tree, and had one day planned to climb it's long, slender branches and bask in the glory of beating her fears. But now it seemed that might never happen. The drought had eaten everything her pride had once known, and still seemed to be taking. Surely at some point in would give in, and things would return to the once plentiful state they once were? Mimo wasn't all that sure, if her hopes were in the right place, but in the same breath she couldn't see hers-

Quickly snapping out of her thoughts, Mimo picked her head up from the dusty cloud her movement had stirred. That noise, who on Earth had traveled this far away from the pack?!

And for what?

The answer quickly came to her, as she picked up her Mother's scent on the air, which wasn't all that hard since there wasn't much of anything left to smell, but the scent of death.

A low growl formed in the lioness' throat as she pulled her entire body from the ground. Well, her day was ruined, might as well go face what she wanted, or Mimo's problems would only get worse.

Now supporting her own weight, Mimo rolled her eyes, and attempted to move. But her feet had a mind of their own and stood rooted directly to the spot. 't'least one part of me has a brain today.' She mumbled as she raised her voice to attract her Mother's attention.

"I'm here Dina, you can stop looking, and just tell me what you want now."

 

[Jovi of Shadows]

Ah! Her search finally came to a fruitful end as she heard that familar voice. That however, did not stop the lioness from pulling up in a huff, the nerve of that child calling her out like that, you'd think she'd be more grateful for the advice she so willingly threw her way. "I'm your mother Mimo sinu, I'd like to think I deserve a little more respect than that," she reproached. Regardless, Dina did not hesitate to pad forward, her expression quickly changing to that of a mother's admiration for their child. She had not gone wrong in the raising of her daughter, she was strong, healthy, and a good addition to the pride. Dina certainly felt a bit of pride in that fact, even if her attitude could use some adjusting.

"I've been thinking", she began again, chosing to ignore her daughter's obvious dislike of her presence. "And you really shouldn't keep particular pride members at arm's length. There may come a day when you need to rely on each other for survival, certainly that will be easier done if you learn to get along," she paused to give her daughter an affectionate smile. This was all for her own good, after all. "Goodness knows you'll get yourself into trouble one of these days with how reckless you've been acting," Dina went on, her brows raising in exasperation as a sigh parter her lips. The lecture just starting off and Dina already taking the moral high ground of the conversation. Of course there was one pride member she had in mind for this afternoon's lesson, and she didn't believe she needed to elaborate on the details. After all, she just needed to know that Mimo and Beru weren't the closest of allies, and that was enough to justify the talking-to in light of the pride's current condition.  

[Depawsit]

Mimo did little more than roll her eyes as her Mother initiated her nag fest. It was always the same, down to the last detail. She'd track Mimo to the ends of the Earth, start it off with a pleasant 'I was thinking...' and then it was all down hill from there.

With an exhausted, defeated feeling in her chest, Mimo settled in for a good long nagging, and plopped her bottom back into the dirt. But, just like clockwork; it wasn't very long before Dina hit a nerve.


"In case you haven't noticed....

Mom

Mimo spat out the words with disgust. She'd never liked the word, and didn't much see what the point was in using it. Or Dad for that matter. Though, she wasn't really used to dealing with that scenario.


"We're pretty much of the brink of survival as it is. I hardly see how 'getting along' is going to save any of us at this point. Especially when I get along well with everyone except her!" Mimo was furious, and the conversation had only just begun, but she knew she had to allow her Mother to finish. She may not get along the well with her, but she knew that she deserved the respect of at least being listened to.

 

[Jovi of Shadows]

The older lioness' ears flicked back in alarm at the backlash to her suggestion, her worry over her daughter's well being quite tangible at this point. "That's precisely the point Mimo, we are on the brink of survival. Normally your decisions are easier to tolerate", and for Dina 'tolerate' meant only one lecture a week that was relatively quick, but in the pride's dire situation this called for her undivided attention. "In times like this, you never know when you'll be thrown into a scenario you don't normally deal with. Sweety, that could very well mean having to team up with Beru if it meant saving your lives," Dina continued, her voice soft but firm in her beliefs. Mimo could disapprove all she liked, her mother had the right to worry about her and that meant not pulling any punches.

Besides, there was a lot to worry about. With the drought, other animals were becoming desperate, crocodiles would take a snap at anything that came close to their shore, scavengers were growing bold, and tempers flared in the dry heat with nothing to quench their thirst. Keeping enemies was a pass time best forgotten in these desperate times. Now if only she could get Mimo to see this.

Remembering how long it had taken Dina to find her in the first place, that set off another set of worried fits deep in her gut. "And what are you doing sulking all the way out here? The pride might not be able to get to you in time if something were to happen. Please be more careful, you never know what may surprise you in these circumstances." Between enticing enemies and recklessly keeping herself at length from the pride, Dina wasn't sure what she should worry about the most.  

[Depawsit]

Her Mother worried too much. Far, far too much. But Mimo was used to it, and beneath all of her stubborn actions, respected her Mother for it. Though, that would never mean it wasn't annoying. In fact, Dina's constant worrying drove Mimo crazy, it really was no wonder she drifted from the pride so often to be alone. It had been this way for as long as she could remember, and well, she prided herself in a somewhat decent memory.

Taking in a deep breath, Mimo listened with her mouth agape for the right moment to speak up. It was never an easy task to find a place to jump in at - and sometimes you just had to be rude and interrupt. But something prevented that, her Mother's less naggy, more maternal nature began to shine through a bit. Mimo quickly released the breath she'd been holding in and hung her head in defeat.

"Mom,

You know me, I may be a hard-headed stubborn girl, but I know how to handle my own. You should know that, you're the one who instilled that in me." Mimo paused, pawing at the ground as she tried to lay this delicately to her Mother.

"But I can not foresee any scenario, good or bad that would ever have me anywhere near Beru, so how could I possibly be forced to team up with her?"

Another pause, and a bigger hole. She was right. At least in her mind, and she would probably never see it any other way. No matter the circumstance, she just couldn't picture herself willingly being within walking distance of the female. Never in a million years.

Mimo pulled herself back into the conversation at the wrong time, possibly because she should have been listening all along; but also because Dina was once again ranting about her behavior.

Immediately she wanted to lash out and blame her Mother for her distance from the pride, but she wasn't that cold. Besides, that wasn't entirely true. Sometimes, she just needed to be alone, away from it all. Yes, she realized she was far from the safety her pride offered, but she also realized she was far from the stress that came with a pride.

"I don't know what it's ever going to take to convince you that i'm capable of taking care of myself. Goodness knows I may never be able to, but i'm not your little cub anymore Mom. You have to let me make my mistakes, because if you never let me make them, how am I supposed to know that it's a good idea to listen to you?

And i'm not that far from the pride, even if something were to happen, i'm sure I could get back for help.."

Mimo forced a weak smile as she glanced up at her Mom. Of course, she wasn't sure but if it helped settle her Mother's nagging heart, she would say it. But she would never admit why. It was much more entertaining to pester her Mom.

Playfully or Hurtfully? Well honestly she wasn't quite sure why she did it, but it wasn't something she planned to stop doing anytime soon.

 

[Jovi of Shadows]

Despite her nagging, and constant chatter when it came to conversation, Dina was capable of flipping her ears forward and listening carefully to the responses that were offered her. At the very least, they hadn't resorted to shouting at each other, which the orange painted lioness was quite grateful for. Many of her lectures hadn't ended in good places for either of them, but then, Dina was far too worried about the pride and the well-being of her daughter to allow petty squabbles inch their way into this particular message. And Mimo did have something of a point, not enough to make Dina completely go back on her warnings, but enough to remind her of the fondness she held for her little- grown girl.

It was true that Mimo had proven competent when it came taking care of herself, but life had a way of surprising you. "I know darling, and I am proud of the way you've managed yourself. I can remember times when you were still young and I was training you to hunt; you've grown into a capable lioness, I can see that," Dina relented. "I just wish you'd consider the option, at the very least if you ever find yourself in a situation with Beru, remember my words. That's all I'm asking." And for now, that was true. She did not want to pressure Mimo any further than this stern nudge in the right direction, as Dina could see their relationship wasn't the closest when in came to mother and daughter bonding. Trudging carefully would hopefully have a more lasting effect than some of her previous lessons.

"Making mistakes is an important part of growing up", Dina agreed, blue eyes gagging her daughter's expression and body language. "But I want to give you the chance to make an informed decision instead of leaving you with nothing to call back on." It was that last statement and that small smile that made Dina sigh, she'd done what she could. Honestly, she had said what she'd come here to say, and it pleased her that Mimo had heard her out.

Closing the gap between them Dina allowed herself a brief nuzzle before turning to stand next to Mimo. "I'm done lecturing for now, promise," she told her. The lioness's eyes scanned the barren lands that they had called home, and Dina shifted uncomfortably. The pride needed to get through this, some how. "Since we're out here, do you want to see if we can catch a little lunch?" she asked. The lands held very little prey lately, but perhaps between the two of them, they'd manage to get lucky.  

[Depawsit]

Remember words.

As much as Mimo wanted to lash out and make it clear that words were never going to be enough. She held back. For once her Mother seemed to be trying to reach out to her, instead of just nagging her ear off because she'd done something less than favorable. That was enough to warrant Mimo's respect, for the time being, and so she gave it simply nodding her head at her Mother's request. She probably wouldn't think back to this conversation again, and if she ever did by some cruel twist of fate find herself with Beru, she would remember words; though she doubted they'd be the ones her Mother hoped they would.

Mimo gently returned her Mother's warming nuzzle, and let out a dry huff of laughter at the comment, and the added 'For now'. But what caught her attention even more was her Mother's strange request. Not that she was opposed to it, she was getting kinda hungry and the exercise was something she could really go for. But in this barren place of once was, she doubted there'd be anything out to kill. Yet, instead of that, she replied in an anxious tone, reminiscent of her cubhood, "Bet I find the bigger kill!"

She paused a moment, waiting for her Mother's reaction before sprinting away in search of some sign of life other than their own.

 

[Jovi of Shadows]

Her mother withheld the urge to spring Mimo with more shows of physical affection, thinking the conversation had gone quite well and not wanting to spoil it by seeming too clingy. Needless to say, Dina was thrilled to have the nuzzle returned. Of course, it was Mimo's response that got the big grin to plaster itself onto her maw, her claws sliding in and out into the dirt. "We'll see about that!" She replied, immediately standing up and sending a small spray of dust behind her.

They didn't go hunting together very often, it just wasn't the dynamic of this mother and daughter duo, so to Dina this was quite the treat. Of all the children she'd had in her life, Mimo was the only one who had stuck around, it was a shame they weren't closer she had always believed. Then again, she supposed she'd rather warn her daughter about danger and be adamant about her lectures than subserviently bending to her daughter's whims. It might have made them get along better, but who do you think was the original stubborn one of the pair? As Mimo raced off, Dina wasn't far behind.

It was good to feel this bond with her daughter and hopefully this would work at strengthening their relationship. In Dina's eyes, the best thing she could do for Mimo in this time of the pride's dire duress, was give her something of a shoulder to lean on.  

[Depawsit]

Mimo continued her forward dash, allowing the wind to freely flow through her fur, welcoming the cool sensation that came along with it. It had been so unbearably hot lately, so the cooling sensation was far more than welcome. But other than being oddly cooling, it had another effect. It helped her relax, even more than she already was.

At the start of her Mother Daughter speech earlier, she'd been regretting being found, but not that it was over. She felt at peace, like some sort of weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Normally things between her and Dina were rough, and never seemed to find each other on the same page. But perhaps this drought had done something good in all of it's hardship. Maybe it ha a deeper reasoning - Bringing them closer. For the longest time Mimo, had been drifting apart from her pride, member by member, and even though the situation hadn't been fully resolved, part of the hole she'd been digging for herself now seemed a little more shallow.

Allowing herself to laugh freely, Mimo looked over her shoulder and saw her Mother's shadow coming up quickly on her heels. With one last squeal of delight, Mimo kicked up her heels and tore off into the sunset again.